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In a 7-2 ruling July 8, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Trump administration rules that give employers more ability to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage in their health plans.
My experience at Mass the other day got me down. The hundred or so masked people who gathered in our cavernous sanctuary included friends for the better part of a decade, but we all seemed locked in our own worlds, unapproachable.
Last week, I moved into a very old house. It’s more than 250 years old. This new-to-me house is steeped in history. It’s also exceedingly dusty and has not a few dents and dings to its name. Before moving here, I was an admirer of old houses; I thought them lovely to tour and to visit — and then to leave, escaping to modern conveniences and sparkling clean baseboards. I admit here and now that I was skeptical about “old house love.”
The last several months have been an unusual and spiritually trying time for the people of God. Until recently, most of the lay faithful were unable to attend Mass in person. Priests and bishops, whose very lives are dedicated to the spiritual care of the faithful, have been separated from their people. During this time of isolation, we have been reminded frequently to make acts of spiritual communion. By an act of spiritual communion, those who cannot receive Our Lord sacramentally express their desire to be united with him, ask him to be present within them through his Holy Spirit, and beg for the grace that would normally come from receiving the Eucharist when actual reception is impossible.
People love the idea of angels — especially at Christmas time. We create statues of angels, we decorate with paper angels, and we make them look as beautiful or elusive as we like. We may invoke their help and expect their protection at times of danger. But what do we really know about angels, and are we really “assigned” an angel at the time of our birth? Are guardian angels only for Catholics? How do we explain angels to children, and why do children seem to like angels so much? And how is it that just when we need a nudge or some inspiration, our angel always seems to come through?
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge celebrated an opening Mass for the Marymount School Leadership Program at the Sacred Heart of Mary Chapel in Arlington July 6.
“Maybe we should just cancel.” That was an option Jean Lupinacci, director of faith formation at St. Mark Church in Vienna, considered in April as she tried to plan vacation Bible school months out while the coronavirus pandemic left in-person events uncertain for the foreseeable future. As she discussed possibilities with her team of five catechists, the question came up, “Why don’t we think about doing it virtually?”
Solar panels now sit atop several parish schools, churches and gyms.
WASHINGTON — Three dozen faith-based organizations, including Catholic Relief Services, have asked Congress to immediately fund efforts to respond to the coronavirus pandemic around the world.
A farmer’s work
I recently witnessed a minor miracle in my parents’ backyard. After almost a decade of work, my dad finally got nice, green grass to grow in what had been a desert-dry bald spot for most of my childhood and beyond. It took years of cultivation, preparing soil and scattering seed, often with mixed results. But finally: success.